So yesterday, I took Annette for a huge, long walk over the hills and faraway roundabout my house.
See, I love these hills, and I love all the nooks and crannies that I'm actually glad the teenagers these days don't know about. Also, I think I live in a really beautiful place, and if I had a quid for every time I said so, and that I wouldn't live anywhere else, I'd have about a fiver. So I asked Annette if she'd like to come for a walk with me, because she likes walking, and so do I, and she said yes.
And that was what we did.
We went up on the hills at about 10:30am and didn't come back down into the valley until 3:30pm. It was so cool. I haven't done that walk in a long time, and it was great to take someone who didn't know it, and tell them all about it, and point stuff out (sadly we never found the abandoned mine entrance, but maybe I'll look that up for next time*).
We saw at least two kestrels, which pleased the hell out of me, since I've heard them calling, but not seen them. We only saw a handful of sheep (which was a surprise since this is sheep country), but I suspect the farmer got foot and mouth (obviously not personally ;) ) and hasn't built up his flock since. There were about a billion and one horses, although the two fields I was expecting to see them in are abandoned and overgrown now. But never mind.
We also visited a ruined church (which is in a better state than I recall, but it has no roof, very few windows). It has a much bigger graveyard than I remembered, too, with some really recent graves in (I assumed it had been in disuse longer than it actually must have been). I should have taken photos and didn't, but I can always go back. And we went and explored an abandoned plastics factory. I took loads of photos there (perhaps to make up?), and it kind of creeped me out. I always thought it was weird that the places I see on the internet just look like everyone upped and left one day, but that was exactly what had happened at the factory - there were even some Xmas decorations still up. But yeah, it was creepy because obviously there were no lights, and this place still had the second floor as well as the ceiling.
Oh! And I nearly forgot about the ruined house on the hillside! We did fake!archaeology on it, trying to figure out what it had been and why (thought farm house at first, and probably most likely, but there were other building outlines that could also have been houses or something. I don't know. I should snag me a local historian one day and interrogate them).
Annette said in return that next time we get together, she'll take me for a walk around where she lives, which will also be cool, and I dare say I'll more photos there, because I've never been up where she lives (only in passing acquaintence: "Oh, that was that place? There's only 5 houses!")
The only downside was I did a weirdly graceful trying to climb over a stile, like I didn't get the momentum to get over, but gathered enough to sit down on the rock below me. I mean, I didn't think I hurt myself at all (I didn't go, "Ow!" when I landed), but just before we got to the factory, it became clear that I must have twisted my left knee as I went down. Luckily it doesn't hurt now, so I think the muscles just went "ARGH!" yesterday.
All in all, a good time was had, and it was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.
~*~
*It's barred off and full of water, so I wouldn't be so stupid as to go in it. I wouldn't anyway. I'm an idiot, not completely stupid.
See, I love these hills, and I love all the nooks and crannies that I'm actually glad the teenagers these days don't know about. Also, I think I live in a really beautiful place, and if I had a quid for every time I said so, and that I wouldn't live anywhere else, I'd have about a fiver. So I asked Annette if she'd like to come for a walk with me, because she likes walking, and so do I, and she said yes.
And that was what we did.
We went up on the hills at about 10:30am and didn't come back down into the valley until 3:30pm. It was so cool. I haven't done that walk in a long time, and it was great to take someone who didn't know it, and tell them all about it, and point stuff out (sadly we never found the abandoned mine entrance, but maybe I'll look that up for next time*).
We saw at least two kestrels, which pleased the hell out of me, since I've heard them calling, but not seen them. We only saw a handful of sheep (which was a surprise since this is sheep country), but I suspect the farmer got foot and mouth (obviously not personally ;) ) and hasn't built up his flock since. There were about a billion and one horses, although the two fields I was expecting to see them in are abandoned and overgrown now. But never mind.
We also visited a ruined church (which is in a better state than I recall, but it has no roof, very few windows). It has a much bigger graveyard than I remembered, too, with some really recent graves in (I assumed it had been in disuse longer than it actually must have been). I should have taken photos and didn't, but I can always go back. And we went and explored an abandoned plastics factory. I took loads of photos there (perhaps to make up?), and it kind of creeped me out. I always thought it was weird that the places I see on the internet just look like everyone upped and left one day, but that was exactly what had happened at the factory - there were even some Xmas decorations still up. But yeah, it was creepy because obviously there were no lights, and this place still had the second floor as well as the ceiling.
Oh! And I nearly forgot about the ruined house on the hillside! We did fake!archaeology on it, trying to figure out what it had been and why (thought farm house at first, and probably most likely, but there were other building outlines that could also have been houses or something. I don't know. I should snag me a local historian one day and interrogate them).
Annette said in return that next time we get together, she'll take me for a walk around where she lives, which will also be cool, and I dare say I'll more photos there, because I've never been up where she lives (only in passing acquaintence: "Oh, that was that place? There's only 5 houses!")
The only downside was I did a weirdly graceful trying to climb over a stile, like I didn't get the momentum to get over, but gathered enough to sit down on the rock below me. I mean, I didn't think I hurt myself at all (I didn't go, "Ow!" when I landed), but just before we got to the factory, it became clear that I must have twisted my left knee as I went down. Luckily it doesn't hurt now, so I think the muscles just went "ARGH!" yesterday.
All in all, a good time was had, and it was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.
~*~
*It's barred off and full of water, so I wouldn't be so stupid as to go in it. I wouldn't anyway. I'm an idiot, not completely stupid.
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